Thanks a lot for all of the kind words. I can assure you that if you are afforded the opportunity to share your talents in this manner it will be one of the most fulfilling things you will have done. If I may, without sounding like an authority, here's the way I do it:
I let them pick from 4 styles of pens, Slimline, Cigar, Euro/round top or Sierra/Mesa. They then select the material they wish to turn for the pen body ( I have painted tubes waiting in case they select an acrylic acetate). We than match the blank with the best kit for design sake, gold or chrome. Then I tell them what we are going to do at the beginning of each step and I proceed to complete that operation one step at at a time, ie. sanding the tubes or cutting the blank to length. After I have told them and shown them how, they duplicate the steps, again one at a time, that I have taken. It's a tell, show and do approach. We go trough the entire process until they have a completed pen that I would sell for $35 to $40. If they have a blowout or other disaster, we start over. I want to be clear, I do charge for the 3 to 4 hour class but if one would figure the hourly rate it would be embarrassingly low, it ain't about the money, it is an investment on their part and a blast on my part. I have discovered that if a "student" has a monetary investment in something they pay better attention and take care of the end product...it has value. I'm old and that's the old way. I regret that I haven't taken and kept photos of all who have made pens under my tutelage but hey, I do have the memories of each and every one of them. I have had kids as young as 7 take the class and a couple of old farts in their 80s do it too. A lot of these folks are members of our IAP chapter and several attend almost every demo I do at Rockler. What a blessing it is to have been given a talent/ability, opportunity and the resources that connects me with so many great people, including those who frequent this forum.
WB
